MOCKTAIL MONDAY – AN APPLE A DAY

I can use a drink and today calls for our favorite bombastic writer, Ray! Without further ado I bring you November’s Mocktail Monday via Mr. Peraino.

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, we’ll all soon be attending parties with friends and family. I don’t know about your family and friends, but with mine, this time of year calls for a drink … or three.

We’re going to mix up some incredible mocktails, real ones, good ones – mocktails that are rewarding and enjoyable. The best part, all of these will rely heavily on that seasonally available sparkling apple cider — you know the one I’m talking about, with its italicized scripted label over an emerald green bottle, ubiquitously available at every supermarket this time of year.

Got it? Great, let’s jazz that up into something so Gatsbyesque that it’ll feel like you’re gulping down the gilded age by the glass. It is almost the 20s again.

Here are three recipes that I think are perfect for this time of year. They’re familiar enough flavors to complement your holiday meals, but unique enough to be enjoyed on their own or with friends.

Apple & Sage Fizz

Ingredients

(4 servings)

1 tbsp honey

2 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice

16 oz sparkling apple cider

6 leaves sage

freshly grated nutmeg to taste

ice

Directions

In a cocktail shaker muddle the sage leaves. Next grate in some fresh nutmeg (note: fresh nutmeg is potent stuff) add the honey and lemon juice.

Add a few ice cubes and add a little bit of the sparkling apple cider (approx. 2oz) and stir it all together very well with a cocktail spoon.